Don't Hurt Yourself
by miisfxrtune
Summary: Normally, Marinette can ignore Chloé's cruel words towards her, but on one particular day, she seems to be having some trouble. Rated M for mature themes. Trigger warning in the beginning of first chapter. Three shot.
1. Don't Hurt Yourself

**A/N: TRIGGER WARNING! This will contain content including self harm, depression and attempted suicide. If ANY of those things trigger you in ANY WAY, then do NOT, I repeat do NOT read this. **

* * *

**Don't Hurt Yourself**

Marinette laid awake in bed staring up at her skylight, tears rolling down either side of her face. Chloé had been crueler towards her than she usually was that day, and as much as Marinette tried not to let her words get to her, they still slipped their way into her heart and crushed it. Her spirit along with it. So now, there she was. Crying silently in the night so she didn't wake up Tikki -who was sleeping somewhere in her room, she wasn't sure where- or her parents. The pain Marinette felt that seemed to envelop her from head to toe was starting to suffocate her and she found it was becoming difficult to breathe and her chest tightened. She slowly sat up in her bed, her chest heaving as her breath came out in short, heavy pants. From the ground level of her room, something twinkled in the moonlight that shone through her skylight and caught her eyes. She whipped her head towards it and began descending the stairs that led up to her loft bed. She walked over to where her desk was, and saw what had caught her eyes.

Her scissors.

While she normally used them for cutting fabrics and occasionally school projects, she stared at them and thought of the other things she could do with the scissors before her. So, with a shaky hand, she slowly reached for the scissors and grabbed them off of her desk. They were cold at first, but warmed as she clasped her fingers around them. Her legs felt like jelly as she walked back up the stairs to her bed and sat down, crossing her legs. She set her arm on her knee and looked at her wrist...it was perfect. Not a single mark or scare in sight. It was untouched, pure in a way. Marinette wanted nothing more than to change that in that moment. So, she opened the scissors in her right hand and felt more tears fall down her face as she pressed one of the scissor blades down onto her left wrist, and quickly sliced to the right. She hissed at first as she felt the pain, and a single sob escaped her. She had never thought she would be someone to do this, yet here she was.

However, as she watched her blood ooze from the cut she had made, she felt a strange sense of relief wash over her. It suddenly got a little easier to breathe. Her heart pounded hard and fast in her chest, a little frightened at the reaction she was having, but that didn't stop her from bringing the scissors back to her wrist and repeating the slicing motion not even an inch below the first cut. More tears escaped her as she felt a weight lift from her shoulders as more relief flooded her body. She let out a quiet sob and she continued to use the scissors to cut into her wrist as if it were a beast that needed to be slaughtered. Silent tears fell down her cheeks as she watched her blood leak down her arm and drip onto her comforter, staring at the red substance in awe. A voice in the back of her head told her to stop, that what she was doing was stupid and wasn't going to solve anything...and Marinette decided she didn't like the voice. So, she shoved it away and took a deep breath before pressing the scissor blade to her wrist again. She was about to make another cut, when she heard a small voice call out to her.

"Marinette, what are you doing?!" Her Kwami cried out as she flew over to her chosen. Tikki looked down to Marinette's bloody arm, then to the scissors in her hand and then finally up to her broken eyes.

"I don't-I don't know what else to do, Tikki." Marinette told her Kwami, her voice cracking. "I try not to let Chloé get to me, I really do, but I just..._can't_. I can't ignore her anymore. What she says is true, and I know it."

"Marinette, don't say that!" Tikki said. "Every bad thing Chloé says about you or to you is absolutely, positively _not true!_ You are the exact opposite of what she says!"

"God, just shut up!" Marinette exclaimed, although quietly as she didn't want to alert her sleeping parents that anything was wrong. "You don't have to lie to me, Tikki! I hate liars! Chloé may be cruel, but at least she's honest."

Marinette pressed the scissors blade down to her wrist again and made another cut.

"Marinette, stop!" Tikki pleaded. "Please! Don't do this to yourself!"

"It makes me feel better, Tikki." Was all Marinette said -not even sparing a glance at her Kwami- before making another cut. Sobs began to flow from her mouth and her body began to shake as she made more and more cuts on her wrist, not knowing what else to do to deal with or handle or..._fix_ what Chloé had finally broken in her. She was lost...broken.

Chloé had finally won.

* * *

Adrien couldn't sleep. All he could think about was Marinette, and the look he had seen on her face as Chloé grilled her with insults and bullied her. He hated the look he had seen, and he didn't want to see it again. Chloé had gone too far this time, and he knew that. He just wished he knew what had gotten into her.

"Plagg, do you think Marinette's okay?" Adrien asked his Kwami, who woke from his sleep with a groan.

"Kid, if you don't get some sleep soon, you're going to fall asleep during class again." Plagg grumbled, closing his eyes again. "You can worry about it more in the morning."

Adrien knew Plagg had a point, he couldn't be caught falling asleep in class again. The last time it happened, his father had had a very...stern talk with him. He knew he should sleep, but he couldn't. He couldn't shake the feeling he had in his gut that something wasn't right. He sat up quickly in his bed, threw the covers off of him and swung his feet over the bed. He walked over to where he kept the camembert for Plagg, grabbed a few slices for his Kwami and walked back over to his bed.

"Plagg, wake up." He said, nudging his Kwami with his finger. Plagg groaned again and tried to shove Adrien's finger away, but Adrien didn't give up. He held the camembert in front of Plagg's nose and the Kwami's eyes shot wide open, waking him up completely.

"Camembert!" Plagg cheered and quickly took the slice from Adrien, eating it in one gulp. Adrien handed him a couple more and waited for him to finish eating before calling on his transformation and leaping out his bedroom window. He used his staff to project himself up onto a rooftop and quickly began making his way towards the Dupain-Cheng bakery. He silently landed on Marinette's balcony and walked over to the skylight that led to her bedroom. He had intended on just looking in through the skylight window to make sure she was alright and sleeping -considering it _was_ four in the morning- but his heart dropped when he looked down into her room.

There, sitting up on her bed, was Marinette. She was crying, had scissors in one hand and was using them to _cut herself_ on the other. He looked at her wrist with wide eyes. He couldn't even count how many cuts he saw, and the amount of blood oozing from her body was alarming. Without thinking, he threw the skylight open and dropped down onto her bed.

"Stop!" He cried out as he landed in front of her. Eyes wide and voice desperate. He grabbed hold of her right wrist, halting her from being able to cut again. She let out a gasp, and looked up. She couldn't believe who was kneeling down in front of her, and even blinked a couple times to see if he would disappear, but he never did. So that meant he was really there, and she had been caught. She felt more tears pool in her eyes as she realized that her partner had just caught her doing such a vile thing, and shame came over her.

"Princess, what are you _doing_?" He asked her, shaking her slightly. She looked down to her lap as another sob escaped her, she felt embarrassed and ashamed. She felt afraid. Of all people that could find out she was cutting...of course it had to be her partner. "What's got you so upset that you think you need to do..._this_ to feel better?"

Marinette shook her head and a whimper escaped her. She couldn't tell him. He would think she was weak, and stupid. Her eyes clenched shut as another sob escaped her, her breath coming to her in short gasps.

Cat Noir's heart broke as he watched her fall apart. He had never seen Marinette this way, she was normally so happy and giddy, but he knew that even the happiest of people could be feeling the greatest of pain. His heart shattered even more as he realized that Chloé was most likely the cause of this. He used his free hand to cup her face and lift her gaze to meet his, and he almost started crying himself when he saw just how broken she really was. Her bright blue eyes didn't have their usual spark and light in them anymore. Instead, they were filled with pain and sadness. He hated it. He hated seeing her like this.

"Marinette, please." He said, dropping his nickname for her. "_Talk to me_. What happened?"

She sniffled and tightened her grip on the scissors. She hadn't been done. She still needed to cut. Not all of the insufferable pain she was feeling was gone yet, and cutting seemed to be the only thing that got rid of it.

"Let go of me." She said quietly, speaking for the first time since he arrived. Her voice rose. "Chat, let _go of me_. I'm not done yet, I need to-

"No." He growled, tightening his grip on her wrist as she went to pry it from his grasp. "No, you don't get to move until you tell me what's going on."

Marinette's eyes widened as she looked up at her partner. She had never been on the receiving end of his growls, and something churned in the pit of her stomach as his grip on her wrist tightened.

"_What. Happened?_" He asked, slowly. Marinette swallowed nervously, feeling tears prick her eyes as she remembered what had happened that day.

* * *

She had been walking in the hallway with Alya, listening to her go on about another theory she had about who Ladybug could be. Marinette listened intently with a smile on her face as she watched her best friend gush over her alter ego, and she wasn't paying attention to where she was walking. Therefore, she ended up running into somebody and caused them to spill their _very hot_ coffee all over themselves.

"How..._dare you_!" She heard the voice yell, and internally cringed.

Chloé.

"This is _designer_!" She hollered at her.

"I am _so sorry_, Chloé." Marinette apologized quickly. "I wasn't watching where I was going, it was an accident!"

"Accident?" Chloé scoffed. "If anything here was an accident Marinette Dupain-Cheng, it was _you_! And _not _a happy one!"

"Chloé, back off." Alya cut in. "She didn't mean to spill your coffee."

"Oh, but I'll _bet _she _did_!" Chloé went on. "Little miss _Maritrash_ here just can't stand the fact that some people are of higher class and have more money than her and her idiot baker family!"

"Hey, leave my family out of this!" Marinette said, growing defensive.

"_You_ don't get to tell _me_ what to do!" Chloé screamed. "You are _so_ going to pay for this Marinette Dupain-Cheng you _worthless_, _useless, pathetic _excuse for a human being!"

Marinette stood back back, stunned, her eyes wide. She opened her mouth to speak, but Chloé beat her to it.

"No! You don't get to talk!" She screamed. "Do you have _any idea_ what my father would say if I told him you ruined my jacket! I could have him permanently expel you from this school!"

"Okay, Chloé, seriously, _back off_." Alya warned. "It's just a jacket, and since you have _so much money_ why don't you just buy a new one?"

"This is _one of a kind_!" Chloé fumed. "And this idiot klutz here completely and totally ruined it! Just like she does everything else around her!"

"Chloé, stop, this isn't funny." Nino said, stepping in and coming to Marinette's defense. Marinette couldn't say anything, she could only stare at the blonde girl before her who continued to tear into her.

"You think just because you're the class representative that you can just do whatever you want?" Chloé seethed. "Think again, Maritrash. I am going to _ruin you_, like you ruined my jacket!"

"Chloé, you're going too far! Seriously!" Nino told her. "Back off already! Marinette apologized."

"A silly little apology won't fix my jacket!" Chloé screamed. "Face it Maritrash, you're _nothing_! You honestly think anybody would buy or want to wear those stupid designs you have in your sketchbook, huh? You think people would actually take interest in that utter _shit_?! Well, think again, because I come from a world _full _of high class designers who I have wrapped around my finger. If I tell them your designs are awful, they'll believe me, no questions asked."

"Chloé-" Alya started, but Chloé interrupted her.

"You will _never _make it in the fashion industry, and you will be stuck with your low life parents in your low life bakery for the _rest of your life_! I will make _sure of it_!" She told the bluenette, and then stomped off angrily. Sabrina following her closely, not even sparing a glance at the other girls.

Around the corner, Adrien stood pressed against the wall, having heard the entire thing. He rounded the corner to ask Marinette if she was okay, but stopped when he saw the look in her eyes. Alya put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't listen to her, Marinette, she's just-" She began to say, but was cut off when Marinette shrugged her shoulder away from Alya's grasp and hurried away, Alya ran after her and called out her name.

"Marinette, wait!"

* * *

"Marinette!" Cat Noir calling her name drew her from her memories and back to the present. "What happened?"

She let out a shaky breath and leaned forward, resting her forehead on Cat Noir's shoulder. He quickly sat down -never loosening his grip on her wrist in the process- and used his free hand to bring her closer to him.

"There's a girl in my school..." She began, her voice hoarse. "Her name is Chloé...she's the mayors daughter and she's made it her job to make my life a living hell."

Cat Noir brought his free hand up to her hair, and gently ran his claws through it, hoping to make her feel a little more comfortable.

"Is she the reason you're doing what you're doing?" He asked, even though he already knew the answer. He felt her nod against his shoulder.

"Yes." She whispered. She was so quiet he almost didn't hear her, but his enhanced hearing he had when transformed allowed him to hear the quietest of things.

"What did she say to you?" He asked her. He felt her body shake as another sob escaped her, and his claws slightly clenched in her hair.

"Sh-she-she called me worthless. Pathetic. Useless." She told him slowly. "She...she insulted my family...who have done _nothing _to her and I...I have done _nothing _to her. I don't know why she hates me so much!"

Another round of cries and sobs racked through her body and she pulled away from him, trying again to tug her wrist from his grasp.

"Chloé and I used to be _friends_! Best friends! And then one day we just...weren't. I don't know what happened. I don't...I don't know what I did to make her hate me!" She cried out, tears leaking from her eyes and falling down her face. "_Please, _Chat, let me go! Let me go! Please, let go of me!"

Cat Noir felt tears of his own prick his eyes as he watched her break down even more in front of him and try to pull her wrist away from him, but he blinked them away. He had realized now that this wasn't sudden. She had been bottling this up for _years_, and now it was spilling over. Leaving her alone to deal with the aftermath, becoming a casualty in her war within herself.

"Princess, Marinette, _listen to me_!" He said, pulling her close to him again, causing her to stop her efforts of freeing her wrist and look up at him with her big, sad, bluebell eyes. Her chest heaved as she panted, not breaking their eye contact.

"You are _not _worthless." He told her. "You are _not_ pathetic, and you are _not _useless."

Marinette finally blinked, her lower lip quivering as she stared into his green, cat like eyes.

"You, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, are _beautiful_." He said. "You are _smart, _you are _talented_, and you are _brave_. Marinette, you are so many amazing things, the list goes on and on. All of the things that this Chloé girl said to you? They aren't true. They never will be."

More tears threatened to slip from Marinette's eyes, but she figured Cat Noir had seen her cry enough tonight, so she held them back.

"Don't hurt yourself, princess." He whispered softly. "Not because of her, or anyone else. She's not worth it."

Cat Noir hesitantly released his grip on her wrist, and she glanced down at her bloody wrist before looking back up at him. Cat Noir gripped her wrist again and held it up to the bloody scissors were in front of both of their faces.

"_This_ right here," He began, glancing at the scissors before looking back to her. "It's letting her win. _Don't. Let. Her. Win._"

Marinette's blue irises stared into his green ones for what seemed like forever, until she finally let the scissors fall from her hand and the tears from her eyes. The scissors landed with a soft thud on her bed and Cat Noir pulled her into his arms, sighing with relief. He held onto her tightly, his claws finding their way into her hair again. Marinette snuggled her face in the crook of his neck as she cried once again that night, clinging onto Cat Noir like he was her lifeline with her arm that wasn't all cut up. They duo didn't know how long they sat there in each others arms, but neither one of them cared. The comfort of knowing that Cat Noir was there for her made something in Marinette's stomach flutter, but she told herself it was leftover anxiety from everything that had happened.

Cat Noir was the first to pull away from the embrace, and he gently grabbed her wrist that she had cut. She winced when he touched it and he retracted his hand slightly and looked up at her, asking for permission. She nodded slowly and silently, and he gingerly took her wrist in his hands and looked it over. After a moment, he looked back into her eyes and gave her a small smile.

"Let's get you cleaned up, yeah?" He asked, gently. She reluctantly nodded before allowing him to lead her down the stairs of her bed. They quietly exited her bedroom and made their way downstairs to the main bathroom, which thankfully was far down the hall from her parents bedroom so she didn't have to worry about the sudden burst of the light turning on waking them up. Cat Noir closed the door quietly behind them and asked if her family kept a first aid kit anywhere. She knelt down and opened the cabinet under the sink, pulling out a white, plastic box with a big red cross on it and handed it to him. Her hands shook as she held it out to him, and didn't seem to stop shaking after that, no matter what he tried to calm her down. She sat down on the lid of the toilet seat and he knelt down in front of her, opening the first aid kit and taking her wrist into his hands once again. He took the supplies he needed from the box and began cleaning the blood from her arm and cleaning out her cuts. She hissed and winced as he cleaned them and put medicine on them, he apologized but she waved him off, telling him it was okay.

Twenty minutes later, Marinette and Cat Noir were back upstairs in her room changing her bed sheets since she had gotten blood on them. Marinette's left wrist now sported white bandages that Cat Noir had tenderly wrapped around her arm to help the medicine set in and help start the healing process. Marinette knew her mother would ask about the blood on her blankets when she washed them, but Marinette already had an excuse ready for when that question came, and silently thanked whatever god that was out there that she was a girl. Cat Noir had cleaned her blood off of her scissors, but then he tossed them in the trash and said if she needed scissors so badly she could just buy new ones. He said something about not wanting her to be reminded of everything that happened whenever she looked at them, and she gave him a small smile.

They finished changing her bed sheets and Cat Noir looked away as he waited for Marinette to change her pajamas after she realized she had gotten blood on them too. Once it was safe for him to look, Cat Noir led her back up the stairs to her bed and held the comforter up until she got her legs underneath it. She laid her head on her pillow, and Cat Noir tucked the blanket around her. He could see her eyes drooping already, and was about to leave when she called his name.

"Chat?" She said quietly, and he turned to look at her once more. "Thank you...for being here."

He smiled at her, and then surprised them both by leaning forward and placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"I'll always be here for you, Princess." He whispered to her. "I promise."

She smiled at him, and shuffled under the covers until she was comfortable. Cat Noir stayed and watched her until he heard her breathing even out, indicating she had finally fallen asleep.

"Sweet dreams, Princess." He said quietly, before exiting through the skylight and making his way back to his own house.

He dropped his transformation as soon as he flew through the window and collapsed onto his bed. As tired as he was, he knew he still wouldn't be able to sleep. He didn't know how he was going to face Marinette at school. As Adrien, he wasn't supposed to know about the cuts that littered her wrist, and he didn't know if he was going to be able to make it through the entire school day without asking her how she was doing and if her cuts were feeling any better.

"Kid, if you keep thinking so hard about it, your head is going to explode." Plagg said beside him, and Adrien sighed.

"I want to help her, Plagg." He told his Kwami. "I want to help her as Adrien, but I'm not supposed to know about anything. I'll have to ask oblivious."

"I know, kid." Plagg said, sighing. "It sucks. I get it, but sadly this is part of the job."

Adrien sighed heavily. "Yeah, I know."

"Get some sleep kid." Plagg told him, turning over to go to sleep himself. "After tonight, both you _and _that Marinette girl need as much of it as you can get."

Adrien finally complied with one final sigh before pulling his covers over his body and closing his eyes.

He was asleep in seconds.

* * *

**A/N: So, I was going to make this whole thing just one really long one shot, but then I thought about it and I'm just going to make this a two shot, (it might become a three shot though). Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this first part. Review maybe?**


	2. Don't Listen To Her

**A/N: Hey, just popping in again to talk about the TRIGGER WARNING in this part. If you didn't read the one from the previous part. This story will cover topics such as self harm, depression, anxiety, and attempted suicide. Therefore, if ANY of those things trigger you in ANY way, then DO NOT read this story. **

* * *

**Don't Listen To Her**

Marinette woke a few hours later to the sound of her alarm blaring in her ear. She groaned and sat up in her bed, grabbed her phone from it's place next to her on her pillow and silenced the alarm. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and was confused for a moment when she saw that her bed sheets were different. Then, she caught sight of the white bandages on her arm and everything came flooding back to her from just mere hours ago.

"Tikki?" Marinette called out to her Kwami, who came flying towards her at what seemed to be lightning speed.

"Marinette!" Tikki cried out and hugged her chosens cheek. "I was so worried about you! I had to hide when Cat Noir came in."

"Tikki, I'm so sorry." Marinette apologized. "I didn't mean to scare you or worry you I was just...I don't even know."

"It's okay, Marinette." Tikki said, placing a kiss on her cheek. "Just please don't do it again."

Marinette smiled at her Kwami and shook her head. "I won't." She said, and Tikki smiled at her.

"Marinette, are you up?" She heard her mother call her from downstairs, and Marinette felt a rush of fear course through her.

"Uh," She stammered. "Yeah, I'm up!"

"You better hurry and get dressed if you don't want to be late!" Her mother called to her, Marinette checked the time on her phone and sure enough, school started in twenty minutes. She flung the covers off of her and went down to the main level of her room, walking over to her closet and opening it up. Seeing as how her usual jacket wouldn't cover the bandages on her arm, she had to find something else to wear. She finally found a grey cardigan that would work and pulled out a white shirt and a pair of blue jeans to go with it and still wore her usual flats. She quickly brushed through her hair and put it back in it's usual pigtails, then she grabbed her purse and schoolbag before heading downstairs as Tikki flew into her purse for the day. Marinette grabbed croissant from the batch her father had just made and quickly kissed both of her parents on the cheek, sneakily grabbing some cookies and slipping them into her purse for Tikki as she left. She bid them goodbye and hurried towards the school.

She made it with five minutes to spare before the warning bell, and Alya was proud of her best friend for being on time.

"Look at you, girl!" Alya said as Marinette sat down in her seat next to her, still panting from running. "You're here on time!"

"Yeah, lucky me." Marinette said with a smile.

Adrien and Nino turned to face the girls as Marinette came in, Nino because he wanted to talk about getting the four of them together to hang out, and Adrien because he wanted to check on Marinette. Even if he couldn't check on her cuts, he could see if she was feeling okay without looking or acting suspicious.

"Okay, not that I'm not _loving _the wardrobe change, because you look great, but what happened to your normal clothes?" Alya asked, picking a loose string off of Marinette's cardigan and dropping it on the ground. Marinette stiffened in front of her, and nobody noticed how Adrien did too. He didn't know how Marinette was going to answer.

"Oh, uh, I uh..." She stuttered nervously. "I just wanted to try something...new is all."

Alya smiled, accepting her answer. "Well, you look great, but you always look great so that's nothing new."

Marinette smiled at her best friend and slowly turned to face front in her chair, only to come face to face with Adrien Agreste. Her eyes widened and she jumped slightly, having been startled to find him staring at her.

"Morning, Marinette." He said with a smile, and she felt her heart rate increase. The damn smile.

"M-m-morning Adrien." She said, smiling nervously.

Adrien went to say more, but the bell rang signaling the beginning of class and Ms. Bustier walked into the room. Nino and Adrien turned back around to face the front of the room as she began the lesson, but Adrien couldn't quite focus. All his thoughts drifted to the girl who sat behind him, and what he could do as Adrien to help her.

On the other side of the classroom, Chloé glared at Marinette as she watched her take notes. However, something caught her eye as the sleeve of Marinette's cardigan slid up her arm a little and Chloé saw what looked to be white bandages that went up her arm. Marinette noticed that her sleeve was hiking up and quickly pulled it down, glancing around the classroom quickly to see if anybody saw and Chloé smirked to herself. If it was what she thought it was, she could use it. She turned back around in her seat and doodled in her notebook, a plan forming in her head.

* * *

It was lunch time, and Marinette was walking with Alya, Nino and Adrien to the cafeteria. Alya was going on about the latest akuma attack and how badass Ladybug and Cat Noir were. Adrien and Marinette couldn't help but smile to themselves as they listened to their friend say such nice things about their alter egos. Nino only chuckled as he watched his girlfriend wave her hands around dramatically as she recalled every detail of the fight. They entered the cafeteria and were about to get their lunches when a voice called for Marinette.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng!" Chloé called out, causing the cafeteria to fall silent as everyone turned to watch Chloé and Sabrina walk up to Marinette and her friends. Marinette groaned and rolled her eyes. She didn't want to put up with this today.

"What do you want _now_, Chloé?" She asked in annoyance.

"I just wanted to say how much I _love_ your cardigan!" Chloé said cheerfully, and Marinette's eyes widened a little at Chloé's surprisingly friendly tone. Not that she was buying it in the slightest.

"Uh-uh, th-thanks?" She said.

"Would you mind if I tried it on?" Chloé asked, and Marinette froze. Her body going cold as fear shot through her.

"Um," She stammered. "I-I don't know Chloé."

"Why not?" Chloé asked. "Is it because you don't want everyone to see this?"

Before Marinette or anyone else could do anything, Chloé had pulled Marinette's sleeve up to reveal the bright white bandages on her arm.

"Marinette, what happened? Did you hurt yourself? " Alya asked her, but Marinette couldn't move. She was frozen, eyes wide as tears pooled in them.

"Chloé, stop, this isn't-" Adrien began to say, but Chloé cut him off.

"Shut it, Adrikins." Chloé snapped. "If you must know, Alya, Maritrash here _did_ hurt herself."

"Don't." Marinette whispered, glancing up at Chloé. "Chloé, please don't."

"Don't what, Maritrash?" Chloé asked, innocently. "Don't so _this_?"

In one swift motion, Chloé tore the bandages from Marinette's arm, causing her to cry out in pain as they pulled on her cuts. Everyone in the cafeteria's eyes widened and their jaws dropped as they saw the cuts that littered her arm. The sudden air she felt on then caused them to sting, but Marinette didn't pay attention to it.

"Chloé, what the hell is wrong with you?!" Nino yelled angrily at the blonde girl.

"What's wrong with _me?"_ She asked. "You should be asking what's wrong with _her_! She's the freak that's cutting herself!"

Marinette suddenly found the strength to yank her arm from Chloé's grasp and hold it to her chest. She looked to Alya, who looked back at her in disbelief.

"Marinette?" She asked. "Why?"

"She knows she's worthless, that's why." Chloé cut in. "She knows she's a pathetic waste of space and oxygen."

"Chloé, stop!" Adrien exclaimed, but she ignored him.

"She knows it's not just me that wishes she would just kill herself already and do us all a favor." Chloé sneered, and then she walked away, shoving Marinette's shoulder as she walked by her. Marinette's eyes were wide as she stood there in front of her entire class. Chloé having just exposed a secret she hadn't wanted anyone to know. Ever.

"Marinette, don't...don't listen to her, okay?" She heard Alya, but she sounded far away. The voices around her faded and soon all she could hear was the sound of her heart pounding. She felt as if the air around her was constricting and suddenly the feeling from last night was back, but this time it was worse. Marinette couldn't catch her breath, no matter how hard she tried. She began seeing black spots and feeling light headed and she stumbled backwards, feeling like she was dying. She suddenly regained control over her legs and began running away, she heard someone call after her, but she didn't know who it was, and she didn't care. She had to get out of there. She had to get away.

"Marinette!" She heard the voice again. "Marinette, stop!"

She felt the person grab her shoulder and turn her around to face them, thus stopping her from running away. She was surprised to see Adrien in front of her, his hands holding either of her shoulders and looking worried.

"Hey, it's okay." He said to her. "You don't have to run, you're okay."

"Adri-Adrien." She managed to say between breaths. "I can't...Adrien, I can't breathe."

She stumbled backwards again, her legs felt like jelly, but he caught her and helped her sit down against a wall. Her breath coming out in shot gasps as she tried to get air in her lungs, but it wasn't working.

"Marinette, you need to breathe." She heard him say. "Take deep breaths for me." Marinette shook her head, tears leaking from her eyes. Her heart began to beat faster and the spots in her eyes got bigger. She was dying, or at least she felt like she was.

"No, I ca-I can't." She said. "I can't, I can't, I can't."

"Yes, you can." He told her. "Breathe with me, okay? Breathe with me. In through your nose and out through your mouth, okay?"

She was hesitant, but nodded. "Okay." Adrien said. "On the count of three, breathe with me, okay?" Marinette nodded again.

"One, two, three." He said. "In through your nose," They both took in a deep breath. "And out through your mouth."

As Marinette let the deep breath out, she found it was getting a little easier to breathe. She could actually get air into her lungs and some of the black spots were going away.

"That's good." She heard him say. "Let's do it again, okay?"

She took a few more deep breaths with him, and every time her heart seemed to finally slow down back to its normal rate and there were no more black dots blocking her vision. She could finally breathe again. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall as she took a few more breaths.

"Marinette?" She heard him say and she opened her eyes to look at him. "I hate to ask you this, but I need to know...how long have you been doing this?"

He gestured to her arm, and she winced. "I'm sorry." He apologized. "I shouldn't have asked, that was stupid."

"No." She said, interrupting him, and he looked into her eyes. "It's okay. I...did it for the first time last night."

"Because of what Chloé said?" He asked, softly, and she nodded. Wiping the tears from her eyes quickly before sniffling and looking down at her hands, afraid to meet his eyes.

"Marinette," He said, taking her hand. She looked up at him, eyes wide and he shook his head. "Don't...don't listen to or believe a single word that comes out of Chloé's mouth about you, because it's not true. Any of it. It never will be."

Marinette smiled sadly at him. "You sound like a friend of mine." She told him. "He told me the same thing."

"Well, he's right." He told her, and she didn't respond. "Come on. Let's put new bandages on that arm of yours."

Her head snapped to look at him and found his hand outstretched to her. She took it hesitantly and he helped her up from the floor, she wobbled a little, but he caught her and helped her balance. He walked her to his locker and sat her down on the bench in front of it while he opened it up and took out a first aid kit from his gym bag.

"I always keep this on me in case it's needed and there isn't one close by." He explained to her, and she nodded, sniffling a little and wiping her face on her sleeve. Adrien knelt down in front of her and set the box down at his feet, popping it open. He looked up at her, silently asking permission to touch her arm and she nodded, not trusting her words. He gingerly took her arm in his hands and repeated what he had done last night. He cleaned the cuts, apologizing when he heard her hiss, and then rubbed medicine on them. After all that was done, he put fresh, clean bandages on them and looked up at her with a small smile.

"There you go." He said, and closed the first aid kit before putting it back in his gym bag and closing his locker. Then, he turned and slowly sat next to her on the bench, knowing she needed a little time to pull herself together.

"Thank you." She said, quietly. He looked at her, but he kept her gaze on her hands as the fidgeted. He placed his hand over them, causing her to halt her movements and look up at him.

"You're welcome, Marinette." He told her. She nodded, and then slowly looked down to her lap before standing up.

"Well, class is going to start soon so we should uh...probably get going." She said and began to walk away.

"Marinette, wait." He said, grabbing her elbow as he stood and making her turn to face him.

"Y-yes?" She asked, looking up into his bright green eyes.

"It's just...if you ever feel like you need to do..._that_ again..." He began. "Call me, okay? I don't care what I'm doing or how late it is, you _call me, _and you talk to me about it. Alright?"

She paused for a moment before nodding. "Alright." She said.

"You promise?" He asked, and she nodded again.

"Promise." She told him. "...no matter how late it is."

He smiled at her, and then pulled her into a hug. She was a little surprised at first, but then hugged him back. Relishing in the comfort he brought her.

"I'll be here for you whenever you need me." He told her as they pulled apart. "Whether you like it or not, okay?"

Marinette gave him a small smile and nodded. "Okay." He smiled down at her.

"Okay." He repeated. "Let's start heading to class now, yeah?"

Marinette nodded and the two of them walked to their next class, everyone stared at Marinette when she walked in, and she wanted to run away again and get away from the stares, but then she felt two arms wrap around her.

"Marinette!" It was Alya, and she was crying. Marinette wrapped her arms around her best friend and held her as she cried into her shoulder. "I'm so sorry! I didn't know you were hurting so much! I'm sorry for not noticing!"

"Alya...Alya it's okay." Marinette told her. "I'm okay now."

Alya pulled away from their embrace and pushed her glasses back up the bridge of her nose as she looked into her best friends eyes.

"I am not letting you go through anything alone, you know that right?" She asked. "So, if you ever feel sad or like you want to cut again, you text me or call me or anyone else you think can help you, you got it?"

Marinette smiled at the reporter and nodded. Alya brought her in for another hug before the bell rang and she had to pull away and dry her eyes, using a tissue that Nino had handed her. Nino had put a comforting hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze as she walked by him. He smiled at her and she nodded, understanding what he was trying to say. She sat down in her seat, and tried her best to ignore the stares she got from her classmates throughout the lesson. She felt herself wanting to shrink down into herself and never come out again.

All Marinette could think about during the lesson was what Chloé had said to her. Was it really true? Did her classmates wish she wasn't around? As much as she didn't want to believe it was true, she couldn't help but wonder. Were her friends lying to her? They wouldn't lie to her, would they? She didn't know anymore. She chewed her lower lip and her brows furrowed. The teachers words completely going through one ear and out the other as she got lost in the world of despair her mind seemed to be stuck in. She felt Alya nudge her and she discretely turned to face her.

_Are you okay? _Alya mouthed to her. Marinette put a smile on her face and nodded, signaling she was okay. Alya bought it and went back to taking notes. The smile on Marinette's face fell and she looked down to her wrist, the white bandages were covered once again by the sleeve of her cardigan, but she ran her fingers over it anyway. There was a dull ache in her wrist as she applied pressure to the cuts, but she ignored it. Finally bringing her hand away from her wrist and just staring off into space, nothing occupying her thoughts except for one thing.

Maybe Chloé was right.

* * *

When Marinette got home from school that afternoon, she smiled at her parents and kissed them on the cheek before making her way up the stairs to the apartment above the bakery, letting her smile fall from her face after she left them in the bakery. She glanced around the main floor of the apartment with a sense of nostalgia. She had so many wonderful memories in this apartment, and thinking about them almost brought a real, genuine smile to her face.

Almost.

She made her way up the stairs to her bedroom and closed the trapdoor behind her, and Tikki flew out of her purse.

"Marinette, I know what you're thinking." She said sternly. "And you need to stop. You can't do it."

Marinette scowled. "Who's going to stop me, Tikki?" She asked the Kwami. "You?"

"Marinette, this isn't a game!" Tikki said. "We're talking about _suicide_ here!"

"I don't see any other option, Tikki!" Marinette exclaimed, tears pricking her eyes for what felt like the hundredth time in the last twelve hours and she wiped them away. She was so _sick _of crying. "What else am I supposed to do to get this to stop?! The pain won't go away not matter how many times I take a scissor blade to my wrist! Talking about it didn't help! I'm out of ideas!"

"Marinette, people care about you!" Tikki argued. "Your parents, Alya, Nino, Adrien, and the rest of your class! As well as the entirety of Paris!"

"Paris loves _Ladybug_." Marinette retorted. "Not me."

"But you _are_ Ladybug." Tikki told her. "You don't have to be in the costume to still be her. You know that."

"Well, maybe I'm not so sure anymore." She said lowly. "I'm not even sure I should be Ladybug, anymore."

"But Marinette, Paris _needs_ Ladybug." Tikki reminded her. "You're the only one who can purify the akumas."

"If Paris needs Ladybug so much, then Master Fu can find somebody else!" Marinette exclaimed and began reaching for her ears.

"Marinette, no! Stop! Wait! Plea-!" Tikki's words were cut off as Marinette removed her earrings from her ears, thus sucking Tikki into them and trapping her inside. Marinette pulled the Miraculous box out from where she hid it in her desk drawer and put the earrings inside of it. Then, she shut the box and put it on her desk before sitting down at it and pulling out a few pieces of paper and a pen. She took a deep breath and took a minute to think. Was she really considering this? Was she really going to go through with this? Was she really going to let Chloé win? Cat Noir's words from the previous night echoed in her mind.

_"Don't. Let. Her. Win."_

A tear fell from Marinette's eye as she thought about him. She hated leaving him behind, but she didn't know what else to do.

"I'm sorry, chaton." She whispered to herself, and began writing on the first piece of paper.

* * *

Across Paris as the Agreste Mansion, Plagg suddenly gasped out of nowhere, causing Adrien to take his attention away from his homework.

"What is it?" He asked.

"It's Tikki." Plagg said. "I can't...I can't sense her anymore."

"What do you mean you can't sense her anymore?" Adrien asked.

"When a Miraculous is active, the Kwami's tied to that Miraculous can sense each others presence no matter how far apart they are." Plagg explained. "If I can't sense Tikki, that means the Ladybug Miraculous is inactive."

"Inactive?" Adrien asked, and Plagg nodded. "So what does that mean?"

Plagg was silent for a moment before replying, and the words made panic spread throughout Adrien's body.

"That means that Ladybug took her Miraculous off."

* * *

The next morning, Marinette was able to convince her mom that she was sick and couldn't go to school. Her mother had smiled and brought her a bowl of soup to help her feel better before going down to work with her father in the bakery. Finally, Marinette was alone and she got everything set up. She set the notes out on her desk, placing her Miraculous box on the one addressed to Cat Noir. Her hands shook as she placed the box on top of the folded piece of paper, she didn't want to give Tikki up, but it needed to be done. She hoped Cat Noir would understand.

Then, she went down to the bathroom and grabbed a bottle of medication that had been prescribed to her father nearly five years ago after he had needed surgery. For what, she couldn't remember, but she knew they would work. Then, she sent a final goodbye text to her friends before walking over to he chaise and sitting down on it. She poured nearly twenty of the expired pills into her hand and for a moment she stared at them. These little pills would be the end of her, and she was okay with that. So, she tossed them all into her mouth and swallowed them, drinking from a glass of water to help them go down faster. Then, she laid down on her chaise with a shaky breath and closed her eyes, waiting for the pills to work their magic.

At the school, Alya, Nino and Adrien were a little worried when Marinette didn't show up to school. They brushed it off, thinking she was probably late like always, but when half of first period passed and she still didn't show up, they grew more worried. Then, all of their phones vibrated. Indicating they had received a text. They secretly pulled their phones from their pockets and realized that Marinette had started a group chat with them all in it. There was a single message from her, and it read:

_Tell Chloé she's getting her wish._

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so I decided to make this a three shot. Sorry to leave you on a cliffhanger. **


	3. Don't Kill Yourself

**A/N: Okay, if you haven't read the trigger warnings in previous chapters or just ignored them, beg of you to please read and nor ignore this TRIGGER WARNING. This story is covering sensitive topics such as depression, anxiety, self harm and attempted suicide. So, if ANY OF THOSE THINGS TRIGGER YOU IN ANY WAY, DON'T READ THIS STORY.**

* * *

**Don't Kill Yourself**

_There was a single message from her, and it read:_

_Tell Chloé she's getting her wish._

Adrien stared down at the text in confusion. What did Marinette mean? _Tell Chloé she's getting her wish_? He racked his brain to think of what it could mean, and then he remembered something Chloé had said yesterday in the cafeteria when she exposed Marinette's cuts to everyone.

_"She knows it's not just me that wishes she would just kill herself already and do us all a favor."_

In that moment, everything clicked for him and his eyes widened.

"She's going to kill herself." He whispered.

"What was that, bro?" Nino whispered, thinking he had said something to him.

"Marinette." Adrien said, raising his voice a little. "She's going to kill herself."

"What are you talking about?" Alya cut in.

"The text." Adrien told them. "_Tell Chloé she's getting her wish_? Yesterday, Chloé said she wished Marinette would kill herself, and now that's what she's doing. She's going to kill herself. _That's why she's not here_."

Alya and Nino's eyes widened as it all came together to form one big picture in their brains.

"We have to stop her." Nino said, and Adrien shot up from his seat. Grabbing his school bag and running from the classroom with Alya and Nino following behind him. Thanks to his escapades at Cat Noir, he was a lot faster than them and made it to the Dupain-Cheng bakery in record time. He burst through the door, catching the attention of Marinette's parents. Who had no idea what was happening just a single floor above them.

"Adrien? Shouldn't you be in school?" Sabine asked him.

"Is Marinette here?" He asked, urgently.

"Yes, she's sick so she's upstairs." Sabine answered. "Why, is something happening?"

Adrien said nothing as he ran past her and dashed as fast as he could up the stairs to the apartment. He burst into the apartment and began rushing up the stairs to Marinette's room.

"Marinette!" He shouted, and he opened the trap door that led to her room, and what he saw broke his heart and brought tears to his eyes.

Marinette laid still on her chaise, a bottle of pills in her hand as she clutched them to her chest.

"Marinette!" He cried out, kneeling down next to the chaise. He pressed his fingers to her neck, and sighed with relief when he felt a pulse. It was weak, but it was there. "No, no, no, don't you dare die!"

Adrien pulled her from the chaise and held her with one arm, using his free hand to open her mouth and stick his fingers down her throat, thus triggering her gag reflex and causing her to throw up. In that moment, Marinette's parents burst through the door, followed by Alya and Nino. Sabine burst into tears at the sight of her daughter lying lifelessly in Adrien's arms. Tom quickly pulled out his phone and called for an ambulance, and Adrien thanked whatever god like thing that was out there that the nearest hospital wasn't very far away. He continued trying to get Marinette to throw the pills up, and she did throw some up, but he didn't know how many she had swallowed, so he didn't know if he was helping anything.

"Come on, princess." He pleaded. "Don't do this to me. Don't you dare die on me!"

Marinette groaned in his arms, and he thought he saw her eyes flutter, but he wasn't sure if he had actually seen it or if it was his eyes playing tricks on him. In the background, he heard Alya and Sabine crying, and it wasn't until he saw a drop of water fall onto Marinette's face that he realized he was crying, too. Suddenly, paramedics entered the room, followed by Marinette's dad. The took Marinette from his arm and he watched helplessly as they carried her away from him. Tears streaming down his face. He wanted to get up and follow them out and then follow the ambulance to the hospital, but he couldn't move. He was frozen in place. He didn't know what to do. He saw Sabine, Alya and Nino rush after the paramedics in his peripheral vision, but he paid no mind to them. All he could think about was Marinette, and he thanked his lucky stars that he had gotten there in time. At least, he hoped he had gotten there in time. Her heart was still beating, so that meant inevitably she would be okay...right?

"Kid, get up." Plagg's voice brought him from his thoughts and he turned to face his Kwami.

"What is it?" He asked, and Plagg nodded towards Marinette's desk.

"Look on the desk." He said. "If that's what I think it is..."

With a look of confusion on his face, Adrien slowly stood up and walked over to her desk. He looked down and found several pieces of paper addressed to different people. It took him a moment to realize what they were.

Marinette's suicide notes.

He read the names as he looked at them -_Alya, Nino, Mom, Dad, Adrien- _but stopped short when he read the name on the final note.

_Cat Noir_

Then, he saw the box that laid atop the note, and his eyes widened. It was a Miraculous box. With shaky hands, he grabbed the box and opened it. In a flash of bright light, a Kwami that resembled a Ladybug flew out.

"Please!" She cried out as she materialized, and Adrien felt his world come crashing down. The only way Marinette would have the Ladybug Miraculous... was if she was Ladybug.

"Tikki!" Plagg cried out, and embraced his counterpart.

"Plagg! Where's Marinette?!" She asked, and noticed Adrien. "Cat Noir!"

"Y-you know that I'm...?" Adrien trailed off, and she nodded.

"I knew from the first day when I sensed Plagg so close by during school." She explained quickly. "Where's Marinette?"

"The paramedics just took her to the hospital." He said, his voice breaking as a lump formed in his throat. "It doesn't look good." Tears pooled in the little Kwami's eyes as she began to cry.

"No!" She cried out. "I can't lose her! She has to be okay, she _has to be_!"

Adrien pinned the earrings to his shirt so he could keep Tikki with him and then grabbed the two notes addressed to him, putting them in his pocket before opening his jacket.

"We have to get to the hospital." Was all he said, and the two Kwami's made their way into his jacket. Adrien quickly exited the bakery and ran all the way to the hospital, not caring about anybody else around him and hoping he wouldn't be too late when he got there. He entered the waiting room and found Marinette's parents as well as Alya and Nino sitting there looking anxious and crying. He quickly ran over to them.

"Is there any news?" He asked breathlessly, and Alya shook her head.

"They said something about pumping her stomach and then took off with her." She said, her voice hoarse. "We've been waiting here since then."

Adrien nodded, trying to swallow the lump in his throat and failing. "I need to uh, I need to call Nathalie...tell her where I am. Be right back."

He didn't wait for any kind of reply before walking away and sitting on the stairs in the waiting lobby. He pulled the two notes from his pocket and tried to decide which one he should read first...and he didn't know. He was torn. He wasn't even sure he wanted to read the words she had written to him, and yet he also yearned to know what words were on the inside of the folded pieces of paper. So, taking a deep breath, he opened the one addressed to his civilian self, and began to red.

_Dear Adrien,_

_The first thing I want to say is I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not keeping my promise to you, and I'm sorry for not being honest with you. So, since these will be my final words to you, I'm going to say what I've been too terrified to tell you since the day we met, which feels like forever ago, but here it is. The truth. _

_The truth is, Adrien Agreste, I am in love with you. I have been since you gave me your umbrella the day we met after school. I'm sure you've probably wondered why I was always a stuttering mess around you, well, there's your answer. I was so worried about not embarrassing myself in front of you because I wanted you to like me...some fantasy huh? As if a guy as wonderful as you could ever like or love someone as plain and boring as me. Little old Marinette Dupain-Cheng._

_For so long, I've wanted nothing more than to tell you how I feel, and I almost did a few times, but then chickened out at the last minute. Eventually, I decided I wouldn't tell you, because I didn't want to take the chance that you didn't feel the same way and then whatever friendship we had would be tainted, and I didn't want to lose you. So, if you were only ever my friend, I was convincing myself I would be okay with it. _

_I never did say thank you for that day in the rain when you gave me your umbrella. In fact, I think it's still somewhere in my closet, so if you want it back feel free to take it. I won't be needing it ever again. But anyway, thank you. _

_That about wraps it up. I hope you find somebody amazing who makes you happy. _

_With love, _

_Marinette_

Adrien stared at the paper in front of him with tears falling down his face. Marinette was in love with him? _Is. _He reminded himself. She wasn't dead...as far as he knew. Shaking the though from his head, he folded the note up and unfolded the other one. Bracing himself for what he might read, and began.

_Dear Cat Noir,_

_If somehow this letter finds it's way to you, then you know that I'm Ladybug, so I want to start off with an apology. I'm sorry for not telling you that it was me the entire time. I can't imagine how angry you must be with me for not telling you. I don't blame you, I'd be angry with me too. In fact, I would understand if you feel like spitting on my grave. I should had told you, and I'm sorry I waited until it was too late for me to finally do so. You deserve better._

_Assuming you have this letter, means you must also have my Miraculous. So, I need you to do me a favor, and give it back to Master Fu so he can choose a new Ladybug to be your partner since I won't be around to help you anymore. I'm sorry, Chat. I didn't want to leave you behind, but there's only so much a person can take...and I reached my limit. _

_Also, since I don't want to leave you wondering or in the dark anymore...I'm finally going to tell you who it is that I'm in love with. His name is Adrien Agreste, and he is...the light of my life. Was. I forget that I have to say was now, because by the time you're reading this I'll be dead. Anyway, he _was_ the light of my life. I couldn't help but smile when he so much as walked into a room. He's such an amazing guy, and I think the two of you may actually get along well if you ever ran into each other._

_I'm sorry that this is the way you had to find out my identity. I know you probably had some sort of fantasy of how we'd finally reveal our identities to each other, and I'm pretty sure this wasn't it. While I am curious as to who you are under the mask, it looks like I won't ever get to find out. _

_Chat, I want you to know that you did nothing wrong. You were the best partner, best friend, best _everything_ I could ever ask for. I genuinely loved and enjoyed working with you and being your partner. I love you, Cat Noir. It may not be in the way you always hoped I would, but I do love you. I want you to know that. _

_Your Lady and Your Princess,_

_Marinette_

Adrien couldn't stop the tears from spilling from his eyes and down his cheeks as he clutched the letter to his chest and laid his head in his arms on his knees, quiet sobs racking through his body. All this time she had been so close to her, and he hadn't even noticed. He definitely noticed now, and he hated that things had come to this. He hated himself for not realizing the depth of the pain she was feeling. He hated himself for not trying harder. He felt strong arms wrap around him, and he looked up to see Marinette's father hugging him.

"It's okay, son." He said, tears in his eyes. "Let it out. It's okay."

Adrien's lip quivered before he completely broke down and wrapped his arms around the man, this time his sobs were loud and echoed throughout the waiting room. He could feel people staring at him, but he didn't care. He didn't give the tiniest shit about their stares. All he cared about was Marinette, and he found himself praying to whatever god was out there that she made it out of this alive. He couldn't lose her. He couldn't. Not after everything they've been through.

He felt Tom begin to pet his hair, and it reminded Adrien of his mother, as she did the same thing whenever he cried in her arms. Thinking about her only made him cry harder and grip onto Tom tighter. He had already lost one of the most important people in his life, and he really didn't want to lose another. He wouldn't be able to live with himself knowing that he could have done more is she died. If Marinette died, Adrien was sure the sun would never shine upon Paris ever again. The light she brought to the world around her was intoxicating..._she _was the light of _his _life, just like he was hers.

He couldn't lose her.

* * *

The first thing Marinette noticed when she woke was a bright light in her eyes. She groaned and lifted her arm to shade her eyes from the brightness.

"Ms. Dupain-Cheng?" A voice echoed in her head, but she didn't recognize it. _Where am I?_ She thought. She heard the sound of steady beeping, and wherever she was smelled like medicine and latex gloves. The distinct smell of a hospital, and she found herself freezing.

She was alive. The beeping beside her was a monitor, tracking her every heartbeat. She looked to her arm and found that she was hooked up to an I.V. and she was now wearing a hospital gown instead of her everyday clothes. Her eyes felt heavy as she searched the room, and they landed on a slightly blurry figure. It took a moment for her eyes to focus and she found a doctor smiling down at her.

"It's nice to see that you're awake, Ms. Dupain-Cheng." She said to her. "There are some people who would like to see you."

Marinette's eyes fluttered to the window of the room, and outside looking in were her parents, Alya, Nino, and Adrien. Tears filled Marinette's eyes as she saw how heartbroken they looked, and she choked back a sob as she looked away from them.

"Would you like me to let them in?" The doctor asked her, and Marinette met her gaze. She was reluctant, but slowly nodded anyway, subconsciously chewing her bottom lip.

"Okay." The doctor said with a smile, and exited the room. Leaving Marinette in silence.

Outside the room, the doctor closed the door behind her and walked up the the group waiting outside Marinette's door.

"Okay, she's allowing you to come in, but so we don't overcrowd her too much, I'm going to have you go in at separate times." She told them. "We'll start with her parents."

The doctor nodded and motioned for them to follow her into the room. They followed and entered the room, both of their hearts beating loudly against their ribcages.

Marinette's head snapped up when she heard the door open again, and when she saw her parents, she couldn't stop the tears that fell from her eyes. Her parents rushed over and hugged her tightly, and Marinette hugged them back. Crying into their shoulders.

"Oh my baby girl." She heard her dad say, and she clung to him tighter. "I thought we'd lost you."

"We love you so much Marinette." Her mother said, and Marinette let out a strangled sob, clenching her eyes shut and pressing her face into her fathers shoulder, staining his shirt with her tears.

"I-I-I'm sorry." She said. "I'm so sorry. I should have...I should have told you what was going on, I-"

"Marinette." Her mother said tenderly, pulling away from her daughter and taking her face in her hands. "It's okay. You're okay now, and we're here for you. Whatever you need. We're here, okay? No matter what. You will _always _have us and we will _always _love you."

"I love you, too." Marinette whispered to her, and her mother pulled her in for another hug. Marinette relished in the warmth her mother brought her, and found herself full of regret for what she had tried to do. While yes, she had written notes to her parents explaining why she did what she tried to do, she didn't stop to truly think about how something like losing their only child would affect them, and she hated herself for causing them so much pain.

Her parents held her for a long time, not ever wanting to let go of her again, but eventually they did and told the doctor to let Alya, Nino, and Adrien into the room while they went down to the cafeteria to get something to eat, and to let Marinette have a moment with her friends.

Alya had immediately ran over to her and enveloped her into a tight embrace, crying unconsolably into her shoulder. Marinette had pet her hair and let her cry it all out, knowing that she needed it. Alya moved to the other side of the bed and held Marinette's hand in a death grip while Nino walked up and hugged Marinette tightly. Nino cried softly into her shoulder and Marinette rubbed circles on his back.

"I'm okay, Nino." She said quietly to him. "I'm okay now."

"Please, don't ever scare me like that again, Mari." He said, his voice muffled in her shoulder. Marinette smiled softly at Nino and brought his head away from her shoulder so she could kiss his cheek.

"I won't." She told him. "I promise."

Nino broke their embrace to wipe his eyes, and Marinette glanced at Adrien. Then, her eyes flitted to his hand, where he held a piece of folded paper with his name on it. Marinette's eyes widened slightly and she cleared her throat.

"Um, could Adrien and I have the room for a minute, please?" She asked, quietly. Adrien looked a little shocked at her words, as did Alya and Nino, but they complied nonetheless and left the room, looking in through the window. Leaving the blonde and the bluenette to what they needed to do.

"So...I see you read my letter." Marinette said quietly, and Adrien nodded.

"Yeah." He said, walking over and sitting down by her knees on the bed. "I read both of them." Marinette's brows furrowed.

"Both of them?" She asked, confused. Then, she noticed something on his shirt. There, pinned to his collar, were her earrings. She looked back up at him, her eyes wide and jaw dropped open. It wasn't possible...there was no way that the love of her life and her crime fighting partner were one in the same. Yet the proof was right there in front of her, plain as day.

"Cha-Chaton?" She whispered softly, and he nodded.

"Hey bugaboo." He said, quietly, his voice cracking a little when he used one of his many nicknames for her. Tears pooled in both of their eyes, and Marinette grabbed him by the shoulders and brought him down into her embrace. Her arms flinging around him and clinging to him tightly, her fingers finding their way into his hair. His arms wrapped around her waist and clasped together on the small of her back, and he nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck as he began to cry again. Tears fell from both of their eyes as they clung to each other like a lifeline.

"I can't believe it's you." He said into her shoulder. "This whole time it's been you...can't say I'm all that surprised anymore."

"Wait." She said, pulling back. "You mean you're not angry with me about not telling you?" He shook his head and cupped her face.

"Of course not." He told her. "That was our number one rule, remember? No revealing your identities to anyone."

Marinette couldn't help but laugh through her tears. "Looks like we broke it." She said, and Adrien chuckled a little too.

"Yeah, looks like it." He agreed, and then placed his forehead on hers. Both of their eyes slid shut and he rubbed his thumb along her cheek, their breathing falling into a similar rhythm.

"You scared the hell out of me, today." He told her, hoarsely, and he felt her stiffen. "Please...don't ever do that again. I don't know that I'd do if I lost you. Marinette, there is no me without you."

They opened their eyes and Marinette nodded, a watery smile spreading across her face. "I won't." She said, shaking her head slightly. "I promise, from now on, I'll talk. I-I'll call you or Alya or Nino, or I'll talk to my parents...I'll talk to a therapist. I won't try this ever again."

Adrien nodded against her forehead. "I know." Was all he said.

The duo sat there for a few minutes, relishing in the comfort their presence brought each other. The silence had been comfortable, until Adrien broke it by speaking.

"Marintee..." He trailed off, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Can I kiss you?"

Marinette stared into his eyes for a moment before nodding. They both leaned in, slowly at first, but as soon as their lips brushed against each other, they brought their lips together desperately. Both of them sighing into the kiss and pouring all of their emotions into it, love, sadness...regret...and longing. Their lips danced together in perfect sync, and they pulled away when their lungs screamed at them for air. They were breathless as they looked into each others eyes, and Adrien placed a kiss on Marinette's forehead before pulling her into his arms once more. He rocked them slowly side to side, relishing in the feeling of having the girl he loved in his arms.

He was never going to let her go.

* * *

**A/N: aaaaaand thats the end! I hope you guys liked it...I'm thinking about making a sequel (it would be another three shot) would you guys be interested in that? Let me know!**


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